Commercial Real Estate: Davis Calibration moves headquarters

Tech company has room for growth

The University of Maryland has selected Clark Design/Build, a division of Clark Construction Group of Bethesda, to lead the design and construction of the $80 million Oakland Hall Dormitory project. The first new dormitory to be built at the College Park campus in more than 25 years, the eight-story, 200,000 square-foot building will provide beds for 650 students. Construction is to begin this summer, with completion expected in the spring of 2011.

Davis Calibration of Baltimore said a new headquarters in Timonium will give the company room to expand at a site that includes a state-of-the-art laboratory for fine-tuning and repairing test, measurement and control instrumentation.

The company signed a 10-year lease for 25,200 square feet of space at 1946 Greenspring Drive in Baltimore County's Timonium Business Park. The move from Baltimore's Seton Business Park this month includes 100 current employees, according to a company statement.

"The move is the result of our rapid growth over the past decade and facilitates our plans for continuing growth and expansion," CEO Mark Rohde said. "This new facility will enable us to continue to meet the needs of our current customers as well as gain new customers, enhance our capabilities and service offerings, and maintain and attract a top-notch, highly professional calibration services workforce."

The company's Baltimore calibration lab, one of 30 labs that Davis Calibration operates nationwide, will also be relocated to the new headquarters. The newly designed lab contains state-of-the-art calibration capabilities, a streamlined workflow layout, and ease of access for customers and employees alike.

Davis, founded in 1912, is owned by JPB Enterprises Inc., a privately owned investment bank in Columbia.

Matthew J. Haas and George Santos of Manekin LLC represented Davis Calibration, while Whit Levering and Pat Franklin represented the landlord, Merritt Properties, in the transaction.

Rockville's Skanska lands $31.8M Fort Meade contract

The Army Corps of Engineers in Baltimore has awarded Skanska USA Building of Rockville a $31.8 million contract to build an activities facility at Fort Meade.

Skanska is a national and local provider of construction and preconstruction consulting services to the science and technology, health care, education, aviation, transportation, and sports and entertainment industries.

Under the contract, Skanska is to construct a three-story building to include office and administrative space for 700 employees by March 2011.

"We are tremendously excited to begin work on this project," Skanska area general manager Chuck Brawley said in a statement. "It is also an honor to be able to support those who serve our country. We try to give back to our community in all we do, but the men and women who call Fort Meade home are truly giving all they have. We hope the new facility enhances the work they do on the base."

SRA International relocates Frederick office

SRA International of Fairfax, Va., a global government services contractor, has signed a new lease for 30,919 square feet of Class A office space in Frederick's new Riverside Five building, according to its developer, the Matan Cos.

SRA, which has offices in 23 states and 50 countries, plans to move in May to the 126,151-square-foot property at 8490 Progress Drive. SRA offers diverse services to public programs in national defense, global health, civil government and transportation.

Neighbors in the Riverside Corporate Park include the 310,000-square-foot Wells Fargo Home Mortgage mid-Atlantic regional headquarters. It is also next to the 177-acre biotech campus of Riverside Research Park, home to a planned 330,000-square-foot National Cancer Institute facility.

Cinder Express leases 44,000 square feet

Cinder Express, a packing and shipping company in Baltimore, has leased 44,000 square feet of dockside industrial and warehouse space in Baltimore, according to Corridor Reznick, which arranged the deal.

The company will take the space in Baltimore's Dundalk Marine Terminal at 2100 Van Deman St. The property, in the Holabird Industrial Park, is now fully leased.